EC ‘has reservations’ on holding elections now if Parliament were to be dissolved
Thailand is not ready to hold a national election right now should the government dissolve Parliament, as the new “Organic Act on the Election of Members of Parliament” has not yet come into effect, a news source from the Election Commission (EC) said on Monday.
The EC source made the comment in reaction to opposition parties and several groups pressuring the government to dissolve the lower house after General Prayut Chan-o-cha was suspended last week from his duties as a prime minister by the Constitutional Court, pending its verdict on the expiry of his eight-year tenure in the post.
“The new ‘Organic Act on the Election of MPs’ will increase the number of constituency MPs from 350 to 400 and reduce the number of party-list MPs from 150 to 100,” said the source.
“The new Act will also remove the requirement that all political parties must have a branch in the constituencies where they field MP candidates, while the candidate must also win the primary vote from party members.”
Since the new organic act has not yet been officially announced, the source said dissolution of Parliament at this point would mean the upcoming election will be held as per the organic act currently in effect. “Judging from current data of political parties, it is nearly impossible for all of them to establish required branches and organise primary votes in time for the election. The result will be messy,” it said.
“Some people are speculating that the EC could issue a temporary regulation or emergency decree for the national election, before the new organic act comes into effect. This move, however, is too risky as the country’s future is at stake,” said the source. “The best solution right now is to wait until the new organic act is officially announced.”
